Yesterday’s speech in the Chamber by former Minister of Justice Clemente Mastella in fact signalled the end of the second Republic. The conflict between politics and the judiciary and the almost unconditional applause at the criminalisation of the judges by the politicians are a repeat of 1992, almost fifteen years on, of the speech made by Bettino Craxi at Montecitorio, entitled “All guilty but no guilty party”, and the call to arms by Mastella’s parties are, in essence, almost identical.

7% and 93%, these are the percentages revealed in the recent survey carried out by Renato Mannheimer, regarding the Italians’ faith in politicians. 7% have much faith in them, while 93% have no faith at all. Politicians cannot withdraw into their shells in the light of this fact. Today, in the space of less than twenty four hours, Cuffaro was sentenced to 5 years, not including the aggravating circumstance of having favoured the Cosa Nostra and has been banned from holding public office, while the head of the opposition, Silvio Berlusconi, has been committed for trial on charges of corruption following his telephone conversation with Agostino Saccà, Director of RAI Fiction, and Premier of the Molise Region, Forza Italia’s Michele Iorio, is under investigation by the Campobasso Public Prosecutor’s Office for suspected collusion and abuse of office. Cuffaro stated that: “I am still the Premier of Sicily. Back to work from tomorrow”, while Forza Italia has classified the charges against its leader as “laughable” and the UDEUR has given the Government an ultimatum: “Either a motion of confidence for Mastella or this is the end of the majority”. I wish to appeal to all responsible politicians who are serving the interests of the citizens rather than those of their Secretariats. It is impossible to go up against the laws of this Country and its citizens without there being serious consequences. The judiciary must be respected, as must the citizens, to whom the vote of preference must be given back as soon as possible, by means of an electoral law, after which we must go back to the polls.